Shaping the life of your precious ones

Welcome to another issue of All about Parenting Toddlers .

In This Issue:

1. Top Three Ways To Communicate With Your Child
2. Ten Tips for Shopping with Children
3. Latest updates on Parenting Toddlers

How A Turtle Can Save Your Child's Life

Top Three Ways To Communicate With Your Child
By Danielle Hollister

Although many parents become frustrated as they try to maintain an open line of communication between themselves and their children, regardless of age, there are three quite simple ways to attempt to achieve this goal effectively.

Talk to your kids.
Talk to your kids. Every day. More than once a day. Every morning before school. Every afternoon after school. Every evening (preferably as you sit down TOGETHER at the dinner table). Every night before they go to bed (preferably as you ARE THE PERSON who tucks them in, says goodnight, sees them get in bed in their pajamas etc...)

Make time for your children.
Not just the above mentioned time to talk - but actual time WITH them. Go to their soccer games, school events, and other extracurricular activities. And DO NOT just show up at their games half-way through and leave before they end. Take them (and their friends) to their after-school activities. Talk to them (and their friends on the way there and on the way back). Stay for the whole game, talk to your children after the game is over about the game, their friends, their coaches, the involved people....

Be honest with your kids.
Children can spot a liar a mile away. They relate and respond to HONESTY. They rely on you to tell them the truth. If you do not deliver this basic necessity, how can you expect them to reciprocate? If you HAVE to work late and will not be able to attend their game, be at dinner, help them with their homework etc... TELL THEM WHY you have to work late.

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/

__________________________________________________________

Want to work from *home* but don’t know what to do? Here are over
301 Unique Business Ideas (real case studies) on what people can do both Online and Offline...

__________________________________________________________

Ten Tips for Shopping with Children
by Jan Hunt
Article Source: http://www.naturalchild.org/home

1. Remember that children have limits.
If you are shopping with children, be alert to their needs: are they tired, hungry, overexcited by the noise and confusion, or simply in need of fresh air and exercise, or a reassuring hug?

2. Remember that children are naturally curious.
Children are naturally curious; this is how they learn about the world around them. If they want to examine an attractive item, please don’t scold them. Instead, help them to hold the item safely, or let them know that it can be viewed but not touched. You might say "This is breakable, so let’s just look at it together." Even if an item cannot be purchased, it can be helpful to share the child’s enthusiasm and interest in it.

3. Shopping with infants...
Shopping with an infant will be far easier if the trip is made after they are rested and have been fed. Babies and small children can become dehydrated in the dry air of shopping malls, so be sure to take frequent nursing or juice breaks. Babies are almost always happier when carried. A sling or carrier worn by the parent provides far more comfort and emotional security than a stroller or grocery cart. A small child-proof toy can help a baby to cope with the inevitably lessened attention from the parent, but remember to stop as often as possible and take a moment for gentle words, eye contact, and hugs.

4. Shopping with toddlers...
Toddlers can begin to be included in shopping decisions. Involving the child with questions such as "which of these peaches looks better to you?" can turn a boring, frustrating experience into a more pleasurable one, for both parent and child. Children of all ages enjoy and appreciate being able to make some of the product choices themselves. Bringing along juice, a favorite snack, and a well-loved picture book, or a newly-borrowed one from the library, can also be very helpful. Being surrounded by a crowd of adults can be intimidating to small children, especially when stores are busy. Using a backpack can be one way of bringing toddlers up to a height where they are more contented. It can also prevent the common, frightening experience of losing a toddler in a crowd.

5. Shopping with older children...
An older child can be a great help in shopping, if approached in a spirit of fun and appreciation. If the parent brings along clipped-out pictures of food from the newspaper grocery ads, the child can help to locate the item. Children mature enough to shop by themselves can help shorten the trip by finding items alone, returning periodically to put items into the cart.

6. Avoid the crowds.
Shopping just before dinner, when stores are crowded, and parents and children are tired and hungry, can be very stressful. Try shopping in the morning or early afternoon on weekdays, or move dinner up and shop during the quiet early-evening time between 6 and 7 PM. When we can avoid the stress of crowded stores and long check-out lines, we can have more energy and creativity for responding to our child’s needs.

7. The check-out lane can be a challenge...
Check-out lanes which have colorful, enticing gum and candy packages can be a real challenge, especially as they are encountered at the end of shopping, when both parent and child are most fatigued and hungry. Bringing a favorite healthful snack from home can allow an easy alternative: "That package looks pretty, but candy isn’t very nutritious. Here’s the oatmeal cookie and juice we brought." Shopping at stores which have "child-proof" check-outs without candy can be well worth a longer drive. If there is no local store with such a check-out, you might suggest this feature to a store manager, promising to shop regularly if this option is made available.

8. When you need to say "no"...
The most important part of saying "no" is conveying to the child that we are on his or her side, even if we can’t satisfy all desires immediately. It might help to say, "That is nice, isn’t it? Take a good look and when we get home, we’ll add it to your wish list." As the educator John Holt once said, "There is no reason why we cannot say ‘No’ to children in just as kind a way as we say ‘Yes’." And remember that smiles, hugs, and cuddles are all free!

9. If you reach your limit...
If you reach the limit of your patience and energy, try to show by example positive ways of handling anger and fatigue. You might try saying, "I’m starting to lose my patience. I think I need a break from shopping for a bit. Let’s go outside for a few minutes so we can both get refreshed." Even a few moments of fresh air away from the crowds can make a big difference for both parent and child.

10. If your children reach their limit...
If, after trying some of the above suggestions, your children have simply reached the end of their ability to handle any more errands, please respect that. Shopping can wait; an exhausted, hungry, or overly-excited child cannot.

Remember that all children behave as well as they are treated. A child who is regularly given our time, undivided attention, patience, and understanding will have more tolerance for a shopping trip - and any other challenging situation - than the child who must face stressful situations without this emotional support.

Latest updates on Parenting Toddlers

The Parenting Toddlers website is constantly being updated with more information.

Below are the latest additions :

Some ideas and suggestions of outdoor activity for kids

Special Tips for Parents : How to get more energy and say bye-bye to burn out

> A review of the various parenting magazines available today

Remember to check back often for more updates on parenting toddlers.

If you find any of the above articles useful, feel free to forward it to your friends.

If a friend forwarded this to you, you may want to subscibe to this ezine yourself and have future issues sent directly to your mailbox. Please subscribe here.

See you in the next issue. :-)